Wrapper sealing device



May 18, 1937.

c. H. PETSKEY ES 2,'80,834

WRAPPER SEALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l /7 c INVE;

kF .3 A4 Mw 15' BY l W wl/f ATTORNEYS May 18, 1937 c. H. PETSKEYES 2,080,834

WRAPPER SEAL ING DEVI CE Filed Nov. 22, 1935 2 Sheets-SheetA 2 ATTORNEY Patented May 18, 1937 WRAPPER sEAnmG DEVICE Charles H. Petskeyes, Davenport, Iowa, assignor to Micro-Weston, Inc., Bettendorf, Iowa, a corporation of Delaware Application November 22, 1935, Serial No. 51,115 Claims. (Cl. 93-2) This invention relates to heaters for use in connection with` the sealing of wrapped articles and more particularly to heaters for sealing bread wrappers.

to provide sealing plates and the like for wrapped articles with new and simple means for providing a more eicient seal.

Another object is to provide sealing plates for wrapped articles with heated wrapper contacting and sealing elements of new and'improved construction which are of such construction that portions of the same will follow the surface of the article wrapper engaged therewith.

l5 With the above and other objects in view the present invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings and then claimed.

In the drawings which illustrate suitable embodiments of the present invention,

Figure l is a plan view of the wrapper sealing device of the present invention and so arranged as to be associated with the frame of a wrapping machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line 4 8 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken approxiy mately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing the manner of mounting the forward wrapperengaging elements.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken approximately on the line 6 8 of Fig. 4 showing the manner of mounting the rearward wrapper engaging elements.`

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the heater'side plates and taken as looking in the direction of the arrows 'l-l of Fig.l 4, and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View showing the passage of wrapped articles such as loaves of bread,

over the bottom heater plate.

Referring to the accompanyingk drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts vthroughout the several views, the heater device of the present invention includes a bottom support I0 and side rails II which may, if desired, form a part of the frame of a wrapping machine. Positioned upon the support I2 is a bottom heater plate I3, the surface of which is formed with a series of inclined portions I4, each of which forms with the next adjacent portion a shoulder Ila.

One of the objects of the present invention is Extending between the side rails II is a rod I5 and a shaft I6 which is parallel thereto. The shaft I6 is journalled in the side rails II and is provided with'rightand left threads I'I.

Angle brackets I8 are carried by the rod I5 '5 and shaft I6 and these angle brackets have sliding engagement with the rod I 5 and threaded engagement with the shaft I6. The brackets I8 are provided with horizontal portions I9 which are arranged above the-plane of the bottom heater 10 plate I3 in slightly spaced relation and the portions I9 support vertically arranged supporting members 20 of channel shaped cross-section. The members 20 face each other as shown in Fig.

3 and are disposed over the bottom heater plate 15 I3 in spaced relation.

Side heater plates 2I are removably secured'to thesupporting members 20, the plates 2I having portions of their surfaces arranged in a manner similar to the surface of the bottom heater plate 20 I3 sy rotating the threaded shaft ls hymeans of a hand wheel Ilia, the members 20 and plates ZI supported thereby, may be moved towards and away from each other to accommodate wrapped 25 articles such as loaves of bread of different lengths.

The present invention resides in the arrangement of the heater elements for the side and bottom plates. 30

Many wrapped articles such as bread having wrappers of waxed paper or cellulose material, in which it is necessary or desirable to seal the wrapper through lthe application of heat to the overlapping wrapper portions and many articles 35 which are to be wrapped, have irregular contours. For example, the ends of loaves of bread are slightly rounded and frequently the bottom of the loaf is dished inwardly. In heaters used heretofore, no provision has been made for compen- 40 sating for the irregular contour` of the Wrapped articles, and, asa result imperfect seals are obtained because due to these irregularities, it is impossibleA for the overlapping portions of the wrapper which extendoverrthe irregularities, to 45 be iirmly pressed together and against the surface of the article.

The bottom heater plate I3 is provided with a series of forward aligned transversely extending slots 22 and a series of 'aligned rearward trans- 50 versely extending slots 23 preferably of greater Width than the slots 22, the slots 23 being disposed between the slots 22 and the out-feed end of the bottom plate I3 as shown in Fig. 1.

Positioned within each of the forward slots 22 56 is a tubular metal member which is capable of efficiently transmitting heat, and positioned in each of the rearward slots 23 is a rectangular member 25a which -is also of a metal capable of.

The rectangular members 25a are connected together by suitable rods 28 and the end-most members 25a are provided with outwardly ex-v tending rod-like portions 29 which are secured to the heater plate I3 by means of clamps 30 as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The forward edge of each of the rectangular members is beveled atv 25h as shown in Figs. 4 and 8. l Suitable electric heating elements 3| are resiliently held in contact with the tubular mem- ,bers 25 and the rectangular members 25a for heating these members, the upper surfaces of the members25 and 25a', being arranged above the plane of the bottom heater plate I 3 as shown in Fig. 8. An additional electric heating elementv 32 may be arranged, if desired, to contact with thev side of the heater plate I3 in advance of the tubular members 275 as shown in Fig. 4.

If desired, suitable inclined plates 33 may be secured to the plate I3 slightly in advance of the .members 25 to assist in the movement of the forward end of the wrapped article over these members.

Assuming, for example, that the wrapped article is a loaf of bread-and that the bottom is slightly dished as shown, in Fig. 8, movement of the loaf along the plate I3 causes the leading end of the loaf to ride up and over the tubular mem-- bers 25. During continued movement of the loaf along the plate I3, the overlapping portions of the wrapper at the bottom of the loaf are caused to engage the bottom of the loaf by reason of the tubular members 25, thus insuringV a rm contact of these overlapping wrapper portions with the members 25 andthe bottom of the loaf, whereby the same are heated to melt the wax in the case the wrapper is waxed paper, or to fuse these overlapping portions together in the case Where the wrapper is of cellulose material. The tubular members 25 provide for a line contact between the overlappingwrapper portions which insures a perfect seal. The rectangular portions 25a function in a manner similar to the portions y 25 and insure a rm contact between the overlapping wrapper portions 'but over a substantial area so that these wrapper portions are in complete contact, whereby to provide for an e'fl'icient heating and sealing of these portions.

If desired, depending upon the character of the Wrapped articles, the vertical side plates 2| f may also be provided with a similar arrangement of heating elements suchas shown in Figs. 4 and 7. Asshown in these views, the side plate 2I is provided with slots 34 and 35, a vertical tubular ywrapper contacting element 3G being mounted in the slot 34 and a rectangular wrapper contacting elementl being mounted in the slot 35. Electric heating elements 38 are arranged between the elements 36 and 31 and the supporting member 2U asshown in Fig. 3, which elements heatl the members 36 and 31 so that these members will contact with the overlapping end porl tions of the wrapper and provide for an eiiicient seal in a manner similar to the members 25 and 75 25a, vpreviously described.

Thesealing devices of the present application are an improvement upon the sealing devices disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 726,346, iiled May 18, 1934, ior` Wrap-v ping machine.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular form of apparatus shown and described and the particular procedure set forth are presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatusand procedure can be made without departing from my invention as deflned in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for heating the overlapping portions of the wrapper oi a wrapped article, an article guiding member having a series of fixed, unyielding wrapper smoothing ridges extending across the article contacting face of the member transversely of the directionof movement of the wrappedarticle, a slot in the face of the member, a wrapper engaging element arranged to be loosely carried in the slot and extending beyond the ridges, said element resiliently supported to follow the contour of a wrapped article passing across the slot and arranged to be maintained in contact with an electrical heating element, whereby a wrapped article may have its wrapper smoothed by the ridges and overlapped portions of the wrapper pressed together by a heated element. y

2. In a device for heating the overlapping portions of the wrapper of a wrapped article, an article guiding member having a series of xed, unyielding wrapper smoothing ridges extending across the article contacting face of the member transversely of the direction of movement of the wrapped article, a slot in the face of the member, a wrapper engaging element arranged to be loosely carried in the slot and extending beyond theridges, said element having a curved article contacting surface for engaging depressed portions of the wrapped article and resiliently supported to follow the contour of a wrapped article passing across the slot, and arranged to be maintained in contact with an electrical heating element, whereby a. wrapped article may have its Wrapper smoothed by the ridges and overlapped portions of the wrapper pressed together by a heated element. I

3. In a device for heating the overlapping portions of the wrapper of a wrapped article, an article guiding member having a series of xed, unyielding wrapper smoothing ridges extending across the article contacting face of the member transversely of the direction of movement ofthe wrapped article, a slot in the face of the member,

ay wrapper engaging element arranged to be loosely carried in the slot and extending beyond the ridges, said element having a flat faced article contacting surface for engaging level portions of the wrapped-article and resiliently supported .to follow the contour of a wrapped article passthe wrapped article, two or more slots in the face of the member, wrapper engaging elements arranged to be loosely carried in the slots andy -extending beyond the ridges, said elements resiliently supported to follow the contour of a wrapped article passing across the slots and ar` ranged to be maintained in contact with an electricall heating element, at least one of said elements having a curved article contacting surface for engaging depressed portions of the wrapped article, and at least one otsaid elements having a fiat faced article contacting surface for erigaging level portions of the wrapped article, said elements being spaced from one another in" the direction of movement of the wrapped article' and the intervening space having a portion of the ridged article guiding member positioned therein, whereby a wrapped article may have its wrapper alternately smoothed by the ridges and overlapped portions pressed together by heated elements.

5. In a device for heating the overlapping portions o! the wrapper of a wrapped article, an article guiding member having a series of xed, unyielding wrapper smoothing ridges extending across the article contacting face of the member transversely of the direction of movement of thewrapped article, a slot in the face of the member, a wrapper engaging element arranged to be loosely carried in the slot and extending f beyond the ridges, an electrical heating element in contact with said element, said heating element resiliently supported and arranged to urge the wrapper engaging element against the wrapped article to follow the contour of the article and pr'essoverlapped portions of the wrapper together while heating them.

CHARLES H. PETSUYES. 

